Storage battery grid pasting machine



June 24, 1958 A. D. LUND STORAGE BATTERY GRID PASTING MACHINE Filed Aug.4. 1954 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR. 8 ARTHUR 0. LU/VD June 24, 1958 A. D.LUND STORAGE BATTERY GRID PASTING MACHINE 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Aug. 4,1954 jig 0 v nu 5m m ll I 5 L m m Q .6. O mfllh a: m m m y ..,v N I M o5m 7, 0% Lil w mm M o ooc.o.cno. H" a "Q o I." M m w m l WW m@ m u VL maP w m H Y Q B 0 3 0., E 0 q. 5 g 4 C 7 w H DH-- Pm FT m B) r JFTTORNEYJJune 24, 1958 A. D. LUND 2,840,120

STORAGE BATTERY GRID PASTING MACHINE Filed Aug. 4, 1954 5 Sheets-Sheet 3INVENTOR. fiRTf/UR D. LUND June 24, 1958 Filed Aug. 4, 1954 A. D. LUNDSTORAGE BATTERY GRID PASTING MACHINE illIlIlIH' 5 Sheets-Sheet 4INVENTOR. flfiT/ /UP 0. ANN!) QMQJM/QZ;

HTT RNEYS June 24, 1958 A. D. LUND 2,340,120

STORAGE BATTERY GRID PASTING MACHINE Filed Aug. 4, 1954 5 Sheets-Sheet 546 5* M, r- 5 5 58 l 5'3 INVEN TOR. flfiTHl/fi D. L UND KMQAMW UnitedStates Patent 0 STORAGE BATTERY GRID PASTING MACHINE Arthur D. Lund,Minneapolis, Minn., assignor, by mesne assignments, to The ElectricStorage Battery Company, Philadelphia, Pa., a corporation of New JerseyApplication August 4, 1955, Serial No. 526,359

15 Claims. (Cl. 141-32) This invention relates to improvements inmachines for automatically applying the pasty, active material tostorage battery grids.

' The primary object of my invention is to provide in a machine of thisgeneral character an improved paste feeding and applying organization ofcomponents which will function effectively to apply an accuratelycontrolled amount of paste to the grids and to fill the interstices inthe grids with paste to a thickness controlled by troweling bars orelements between which the grids are passed after they leave the pastingzone.

Another object of my invention is to provide a machine of this kindwhich is relatively simple and inexpensive, conveniently adjustable toaccommodate grids of standard sizes and capable of being readily cleanedas necessary after long periods of operation.

Still another object of my invention is to provide an extremely simplemeans for accumulating excess paste which may fall from the pasting zoneas the operation of the machine proceeds and for periodically returningsuch paste to the hopper in which it is kept in the machine.

Another object of the invention is to provide guide bars between whichthe battery grids pass through the pasting zone and to provide such barswith portions designed to block or blank out border areas of the gridsin order that the paste will be applied only to the reticulated centralareas of the grids. In furtherance of this object I also provide for theconvenient removal and replacement of such guide bars with others havingblanking out portions of different dimensions so as to accommodate themachine to operation on grids of varyingsizes.

Still another object is to provide in a machine of this character, andas component parts of the actual paste applying elements, a cooperatingpaste feed roller and shoe along with means whereby the two may beadjusted together in such fashion as to determine the amount of pastesupplied to the pasting zone or, to put it another way, to regulate thethickness of the film or ribbon of paste which is delivered to andpressed into the grids. In addition I also provide means forconveniently, independently adjusting this paste feed roller notonly toproperly position it with reference to other components of the machinebut also .to compensate for wear as the machine is used over longperiods of time.

The present invention is an improvement over the grid pasting machineshown inmy prior Patent No. 2,375,424, issued May 8, 1945, to whichparticular attention is invited for comparative purposes.

These and other more detailed and specific objects will be disclosed inthe course of the following specification, reference being had to theaccompanying drawings, in which- Fig. l is a side elevation of a gridpasting machine according to my present invention, viewing the same fromwhat may be regarded as its right-hand side, as determined by theposition of an operator standing at the forward end of the macine atwhich the grids to be pasted are received Fig. 2 is an enlargedfragmentary vertical and longitudinal section through the forepart ofthe machine showice ing the linkage by means of which the grid feed unitis' adjusted toward and away from the paste feed unit.

Fig. 3 is a side elevation of theleft-hand side of. the machine or theside opposite to that from which it is viewed in Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is an enlarged front face view of the paste applying unit withportions of the base and the upper part of said unit broken away andshown in section, this view being taken substantially along the line 4-4in Fig. 1.

Fig. 5 is an enlarged sectional detail view taken substantially alongthe line 55 in Fig. 4 to illustrate the adjustable mounting for thepaste feed roller and the bearing therefor.

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary horizontal sectional view taken substantiallyalong the line 6-6 in Fig. 5.

Fig. 7 is a vertical and longitudinal sectional view along the line 77in Fig. 4 and showing only the central portion of the machine, both thefront and rear ends thereof being broken away.

Fig. 8 is a still further enlarged vertical and longitudinal sectionalview of those components appearing in the central area of Fig. 7, theview being taken substantially along the line 8--8 in Fig. 4.

Fig. 9 is a still further enlarged vertical and longitudinal sectionalview of adjacent portions of the two paste applying rollers and of thetroweling bars by which the paste is applied to the grids.

Fig. 10 is a fragmentary enlarged frontal elevation of the adjacentportions of two of the guide bars showing the manner in which they meetat the pasting'zone of the machine. The plane at which Fig. 9 is takenis indicated by the line 9-9 in this view. 7 t

Fig. 11 is a fragmentary frontal elevation to the same scale as Fig. 4of the lower central portion of the parts as shown in that view, butshowing also the grid panel as it approaches a pasting zone.

As stated, the purpose of this invention is to provide a machine forapplying the pasty, active material to storage battery grids and at theoutset it might be noted that such grids are each made up of a castingof generally rectangular shape having a border which surrounds areticulated network of wires and ribs into the spaces between which thepaste is to be pressed and by which network the paste will be held inplace once it is applied. These parts are referred to as grids in theindustry and at the stage of manufacture during which the paste isapplied the grids are in pairs, with each pair making up Whas iscommonly referred to as a grid panel. The grids are provided with lugsby which electrical connections are made in the finished battery andwhile in the panel stage these lugs project in opposite directions fromthe opposite ends of the panels, making it convenient to move the panelsabout while they are supported by their lugs between conveyor chains, aswell as to transfer panels by means of notched carrier disks as is wellknown in the art. Once the pasting has been completed the individualgrids are separated and they are thereafter referred to in the industryas battery plates, but in the interests of accuracy the terms grids andgrid panels will be used in the course of the following specification.

Referring then with more particularity and by reference characters tothe drawing, myimproved pasting machine comprises a suitable basedesignated generally at 10, upon the forward portion of which there isslidably mounted a grid panel feed unit, indicated generally at 11. Thisunit 11 is arranged for forward and rearward sliding motion atop thebase 10 for which purpose the sides 12 of the unit are provided withflanges along their lower edges and guide bars 13 overlie these flangesto hold them upon the upper edges of the corresponding sides 14 of thebase, the said guides themselves being held in place by cap screwsindicated at 15. Secured to the rear portion of the base is a paste feedunit, indicated generally at 16, and the purpose of thus slidablymounting the grid panel feed unit 11 is to permit it to be moved'toward'or away from the .unit 16, for which purpose there is provided ahand lever 17 keyed to a cross shaft 18 suitably journaled to the upperforward portion of the sides 14 of the base. As seen in Fig. 2 the shaft18 between the sides 14 of the base carries a pair of links 19 and 20pivotally connected at 21, with the longer link 20 extending forwardlyand pivotall-y con nected at 22 to the lower. forepart of unit 11. Inthe normal or work position of the two units 11 and. 16 they are locatedin immediate juxtaposition as shown throughout the drawing and in suchcondition the links 19 and 20 are jackknifed, as seen in Fig. 2. When itis desired to move the unit 11 forwardly, clear of unit 16, as may benecessary for cleaning purposes or to replace and adjust the parts, itis only necessary to grasp the hand lever 16 and swing the sameforwardly, whereupon the links 19-20 will be extended in order toproject unit 11 in the proper direction. Such movement of the hand lever17 is, however, ordinarily prevented by means of .an adjustable stopscrew 23 carried by an arm 24 swingable upon a stud 25 on the right-handside of the base 10, as best seen in Fig. l. The hand lever 17 has aforwardly extending lever arm 26 underlying the stop screw 23 and whilethe machine is in operation the stop screw 23 is turned down to hold thetwo units 11-16 in proper working relationship, but whenit is desired tomove unit 11 forwardly the screw is merely loosened and the arm24 swungrearwardly far enough to clear so that the hand lever 16 may be swungforwardly as just described.

Aside from certain components forming part of the paste applyingmechanism per se, the grid panel feed unit 11 is little changed bycomparison with that shown in my prior patent hereinbefore identified,but in any event it will be noted that a grid panel conveying mechanismis provided in the upper portion of the unit-11, made up of transverselyspaced conveyor chains 27 operating over suitable sprockets mounted uponfront and rear sprocket carrying stub shafts or shafts 28 and 29. Therear stub shafts 29 are journaled in the sides 12 of the unit 11 whilethe forward shaft 28 is rotatably carried in an adjustable bearing 30 sothat the sprocket chains 27 may be maintained in a proper tautcondition. At this point reference is made to Fig. 11 in which one ofthe. grid panels is designated generally atA and it will be seen thateach panel is made up of two grids B and C which are cast as a unit andjoined together at the center D of the panel by a narrow strip of scrapwhich is subsequently trimmed off in order to separate the individualgrids. It will further be noted that'each of the grids B and C has aterminal lug, designated at E, and in the panel stage these lugs Eproject from the opposite ends of the panel so that the panels may beconveyed between the aforesaid chains 27 merely by hanging the panelswith the lugs E in engagement with said chains. The conveyor chains 27operate in such fashion that the panels hung between them will be movedina rearward direction in the machine here disclosed and the 'lugs E onsuccessive panels are engaged by notches 31 formed in the peripheraledges of transfer or carrier disks 32 rotatably mounted upon a shaft 33carried by the upper rear portion of unit 11. The rotation of the disks32 is clockwise as viewed in Fig. l, with the result that as each gridpanel A reaches the disks 32 its lugs E will be engaged by one of thenotches 31 so that the panel will then be carried upwardly, rearwardlyand then down wardly by the rotation of the disks. The purpose is todeliver the panels A cdgewise one at a time into an upwardly flaringreceiving throat, indicated at 34 in Fig. 7, formed as will be describedby cooperating elements on the adjacent vertical surfaces of the units11-16 so that the panels may move in a vertical direction downwardlybetween the units, the direction being indicated by the arrow 'F in Fig.11. Further details of the construction of the grid panel feed unit 11will appear in the course of the following description.

Referring again to Fig. 11 and in order to complete the description ofthe panels A, it will be seen that each of the grids B and C comprisesan imperforate, generally rectangular border G surrounding a centernetwork or reticulated area into which the pasty, active material is tobe pressed and held. Such areas are made up of intersecting wires andribs in a manner well known in the art so that no further explanationshould be required herein, but it is to be understood that the grids Band C while in the panel have what is actually their lower edges joinedby the scrap center portion D, inasmuch as the terminal lugs B willproject upwardly in the finished battery. In some batteries the heightof the grids is greater than in others and it will therefore be obviousthat the over-all dimension of the panels, as measured horizontally inFig. 11, will vary. There will, of course, ordinarily be a correspondingvariation in the size of the center network areas of the grids intowhich the paste is to be pressed and as will be presently set forth Imake provision in'my machine for the accurate filling of these networkareas of the panels, without any undesired overlapping of paste onto theborders, or equally undesired failure to completely fill up the centerareas of the panels, by an extremely simple replacement of one componentof the paste applying mechanism per se.

As stated just above the panels A as they come off the carrier disks 32move edgewise downwardly into the throat 34 and said throat isformed byspaced apart front and rear throat forming bars; 35 and .36, both ofwhich have their contiguous faces beveled to provide the upward flarefor the throat as aforesaid. In common with other somewhat similarlyarranged bars shortly to be described the bars 35 and 36 are-respectively secured across the adjacent rear and forward ends of theunits 11-16, respectively, and the sides 12 and 37 :of said units aresuitably flanged so that these bars may be held in place by screws orother appropriate means. The space 38, as deisgnated in Fig. 8, betweenthe bars 35 and 36 nicely accommodates the thickness of the grid panelsA so that the latter may slide freely downward in frictional contactwith the bars and as the panels leave the throat they are engaged byopposed, oppositely rotating panel feed rollers 39 and 40, theperipheral surfaces of which. are knurled in order to frictionallyengage and move the panels in the downward direction. The rollers 39-40are journaled between the sides 12 and 37 of the units 11-16respectively and, of course, suitable provision is made for adjustingtheir spacing so that they will properly engage the panels, as forexample note the readily understandable and completely conventionaladjustable bearing mounting designated at 41 in Fig. 1. After passingbetween the rollers 39-40 the panels move downwardly through the space42 between a front guide bar 44 secured to the sides 12 of unit 11 andvertically spaced apart upper and lower rear guide bars 45 and 46likewise secured to the sides 37 of unit 16. The panels then passbetween opposed paste applying rollers 47-48 oppositely rotating in thedirection of the arrows of Fig. 8 and then in turn the panels passbetween troweling bars 49-50 secured to the sides 12 and 37 respectivelyof units 11-16. It is to be understood that the distance between thecontiguous surfaces of the bars 35-36, 44, 45, 46 and 49-50 is such thatthe panels may pass freely downward through the passageway thus, formedand that the distance between the adjacent peripheral surfaces of therollers 47 and 48 is greater than the width or thickness of thispassageway as here shown so that these rollers do notthemselves engagethe panels, although they mutually cooperate in applying the paste tothe panels. It is the space 51 between the adjacent vertical trowelingsurfaces of the troweling bars 49-50 which determines the thicknessof-the paste applied to' the panels and these surfaces; design'ated'at52," also operate uponthe paste as applied to the panels by the rollers47 and 48 with a troweling or ironing effect to compact and smooth thepaste into the network areas of the panels. The lower edges of the guidebars 44-46 and upper edges of the troweling bars 49-50 accurately meetin close fitting relationship in a horizontal plane coinciding witha'line drawn between the axes of rotation of the rollers 47-48, and'itwill be noted in Fig. 8 that the opposite, forward and rearward lowerportions of the guide bars 44-46 are arcuately beveled at 53 and 54respectively in order to just clear the peripheral surfaces of therollers '47 and 48, said surfaces being knurled as are those of therollers 39-40 as is indicatd in Fig. 4. However, it is only narrowopposite end and 7 central portions of the guide bars 44-46 that arethus arcuately beveled and between these portions the guide bars arestill further cut away angularly, as designated at 55, to a greaterdegree and to a greater height, as is best seen in Figs. 7 and 9. Ineffect openings, indicated at 57 and 58 in the face view of Fig. 10, arethus formed between the downward and less severely beveled exten sions59 at the ends and center of these guide bars and said openingsconstitute what maybe regarded and is hereinafter referred to as apasting zone, designated at 60 in Fig. 9. In a similar fashion the frontand rear upper portions of the troweling bars 49 and 50 are arcuatelybeveled at 61 and 62 respectively, but the curvature of these bevels issuch that only the upper edges of the beveled surfaces engage theperipheral surfaces of the rollers 47-48 from'which point downward andin opposite directions there are spaces of gradually increasingthickness indicated at 63 and 64. Also to be noted (and best shown inFig. 9) the upper edges of the troweling bars 49-50 are oppositelybeveled at 65-66 forming an upwardly flaring throat for paste applied inthe pasting zone 60 to the panels, below which bevels the aforesaidsurfaces 52 of the troweling bars then compact and trowel the paste intoplace.

It will be noted, as best shown in Fig. 8 that the throat forming bars35-36 and guide bars 44-45 are beveled at lower and upper edges 67 and68 respectively so that the grid panel feed rollers 39-40 may fitclosely enough together to frictionally engage and feed the grid panelsA in the downward direction.

As the pasted panels fall from the troweling bars 49-50, which as seenhave clearance notches 70 (Fig'. 8)

in their lower facing edges, the fall of the plates is decelerated bythe travel of the plates downwardbetween friction members 71 and thepanels finally drop between carry-away conveyor chains 72-73, supportedby their lugs resting on the chains as aforesaid. These chains 72-73 areoperated by suitable sprockets 74-75 and their upper spans travel in arearward direction to deliver the pasted plates out the rear of themachine from beneath the paste feeding unit 16. It will also be seen inFig. 7 that a removable pan 76 is arranged as a bottom for the unit 16to prevent any paste from falling from said unit down upon the conveyorchains.

The unit 16 includes a paste hopper or receptacle 77 in which a supplyof the pasty active material to be applied to the grid panels is kept.This hopper is formed by the sides 37 of the unit 16 and by a rear wallforming plate 78 which is boltedin place between the sides as seen at79, by a forward adjustable hopper wall 80 and by a bottom 81. Theforward wall 80 is, as stated, adjustable and the movement is in anupward and downward direction for a purpose presently to appear; Forthis purpose the upper portion of the wall is provided with a bearing 82surrounding a cross shaft 83 extending outwardly to the sides 37 of unit16 and through openings 84 in said sides which are so dimensioned as topermit upward and downward movements of said shaft. The side Walls 37have upward projections 37a at this point 6 which are outwardly flanged,as designated at 85 in Fig. 4, so that a cross head 86 may be firmlysecured thereto. Centrally this cross head 86'is providedwith avertically bored extension 87 in which there is located an adjustmentscrew 88, the lower end of which is tapped into a cylindrical journal 89mounted upon shaft 83 in the notch 90 provided for its reception in theaforesaid bearing 82. An adjustment knob 91 is also threaded upon theupper end of the screw 88 and is provided with a detent mechanism 92(Fig. 7) of any suitable form which permits it to be turned but holds itin any adjusted position against accidental displacement. A heavy expansion coil spring 93 is coiled around the screw 88 and braced betweena washer 94 held by a nut 95 threaded on the lower end of the screw andan inwardly projecting annular shoulder 96 (Fig. 7) formed within thebore of said extension 87. The arrangement is thus obviously such thatthe spring 93 will tend to bias the forward wall 80 of the hopper 77 ina downward direction, the extent of which movement is limited by theadjustment of the aforesaid knob 91, while the spring will also permitthe wall to move upward should a jam occur in the paste supplyingcomponents, as will also presently appear. The upper edge of the hopperforward wall 80 slidably engages a guide plate 80a to guide the wall insuch movement, this plate being secured to crosshead 86 as in Fig. 7.The foreparts of the sides 37 of the unit 16 are joined by a heavy crossbeam 97 for stifiening purposes and a retractile coil spring 98 isstretched between lugs 99 on this beam 97 and the lower forward portionof the wall 80 in order to swing the lower end of said wall in a forwarddirection. At its lower extremity the wall 80 is provided with aforwardly projecting foot flange 100 to which is secured the upper,forwardly flanged end of a shoe or scraper element 101, the two partsbeing adjustably held together by cap screws 102. The shoe 101 has'acontact rib 103 (Fig. 8) which bears against the rear surface of guidebar 46 to limit the aforesaid forward swinging motion of the wall 80under influence of the spring 98 and as clearly shown the guide bars 45and 46 are spaced apart vertically in order to provide a recess 104between them for the loose reception of the flanged portions of the wall80 and shoe 101, this recess being of such vertical dimension as topermit the aforesaid upward and downward movements of the wall 80.

Further forming part of the paste applying mechanism is a paste feedroller 105 located just above and slightly rearwardly with respect tothe roller 48 and the shoe 101 has a rearwardly projecting sharp toe orscraper edge 106 which rests in scraping relation with the underside ofthe roller 105 just forward of the point at which the rollers 48-105 areclosest together. This paste feed roller 105 has laterally projectingtrunnions or stub shafts 107 extending outwardly through openings 108which clear the trunnions 107, permitting both upward and downward, aswell as forward and rearward, movements thereof with respect to saidsides 37 as will be obvious in Fig. 8. As is best shown in Figs. 4, 5and 6 the trunnions 107 at each end of the roller 105 are journaledoutwardly through bearings 109 which are vertically notched on front andrear sides at 110 for slidable engagement with gibs 111 secured to theouter surfaces of the sides 37. These bearings 109 are below theupwardly projecting ends of the aforesaid cross shaft 83 and theextremities of said shaft are flattened as well as vertically bored toreceive the rods or bars 112 of hexagonal or other rectilineal crosssection. The upper ends of these tie rods 112 are turned around andreduced to extend diametrically through end opening notches 113 formedin the extremities of the cross shaft 83 and the tie rods are heldagainst relative vertical displacement with respect to said shaft bymeans of collars 114 and nuts 116 screwed upon the upper ends of thestuds. Some distance above the bearings 109 the lower ends of thetierods 112 are reduced, rounded and threaded as seen at 117 and these endsare screwed down into upward projections 118 of the bearings which areprovided with tapped sockets 119, as seen in Fig. 5. Lock nuts 120 arealso screwed upon the ends 117 and are turned down tight upon the upperends of the projections 118;. It will be .obviousfrom the aforesaid thatthe rods 112, by tying the bearings 109 to the extremities of. the crossshaft 83, will cause the forward paste hopper wall and the paste feedroller to move upwardly anddownwardly as a unit so that the scrapingrelationship of the toe 106 with the roller 105 will be maintained underall conditions of adjustment of the hopper wall. However, the roller105,may be adjusted independently of the wall 80, and its associatedshoe 101, merely by loosening the nuts and applying a wrench to thehexagonal portions of the tie rods 112 and then resetting the lock nuts.This independent adjustment is vital not only to properlylevel the pastefeed roller 105 or, to put it another way, to precisely align its axisin parallelism with the axis of the roller 48 but also to compensate forwear which may occur during the operation of the machine and maintainthe scraping relationship of the toe 106 with the roller. While notshown in the drawings it is to be understood that the peripheral surfaceof this paste feed roller 105 is knurled, as are also the correspondingsurfaces on the rollers 39-40 and 47-48. The scraping contact of the toe106 with this knurled surface thus will in time wear the latter so thatit may be necessary to reknurl the roller and then to adjust it in themachine.

Also forming part of the paste applying elements of the machine is apaste feed paddle 121 rotatably mounted immediately to the rear of therollers 48-105 and on an axis slightly above that of roller 48. -Anagitating paddle 122 is also provided and is located above the path ofthe paddle 121 and slightly to the rear thereof in order to continuouslyagitate as well as to feed the paste down into the path of paddle 121.The aforesaid bottom 81 of the hopper 77 is hinged at its upper rearedge by means of a shaft 123 journaled between the sides 37 and thebearing 124 formed on said bottom for reception of this shaftsubstantially meets a wear rail 12 5 held by cap screws 126 to the lowerextremity of the rear hopper wall 78 so as to prevent the escape ofpaste at this point. The bottom 81 is also provided with front and reararcuate portions 127 and 128 which closely followthe contour of thelower portion of roller 48 and of the path of the paddle 121respectively, and at its forward edge of the bottom substantially meetsthe adjacent face ofthe troweling bar 50 so'that in conjunction with thevarious rollers the Walls 78-80 and bottom 81 the rear, front and bottomof the paste hopper 77 is closed. It is, however, necessary toperiodically clean out the paste hopper and this is the purpose in mymachine of hingiug the bottom 81 by means of the shaft 123 so that thebottom may be swung to the open position designated by the dotted linesin Fig. 7.

Normally, however, the hopper bottom is held upwardly to the closed,full. line position by means of a cross rod 129 slidably extendingthrough the sides 37 of the paste feedunit 16 and engaging a suitablerib 130 on the underside of the bottom of the hopper. When it is desiredto open the hopped for cleaning, the cross rod 129 is pulled out fromone side of the machine iii) rear edge with a'depression of U-shapedcrosssectioninto' said tray 133 ,so that a spatula-like implement (notshown). may behperiodically inserted into this opening in order to pickup the accumulated excess of paste and return it to the hopper;Furthermore, the grid panels, as theyreach. the pasting stage of theover-all manufacturing procedure, may carry a dusty film caused by thesizing operation and as the panels are moved into place by the disks32rthis dust will have atendeucy to fall downward upon the roller 47,whichwill in turn roll the dust into the paste being applied to thepanels. The amount of dust which thus falls is very minute but to insurethat all of it is directed by roller 47 into the paste on' the panelthere is provided a shield plate .135 (Fig, 7') ,se-

' cured to a false bottom 135a forming part of unit 11 and extendingangularly downwardly and .rearwardly from beneath the disks 32.towardthe upper peripheral portion of the roller 47.,

Obviously the drive mechanism for the various rotating parts of themachine has but little bearing on the real inventive concept hereinvolved, but it will be noted in Fig. 3 that a bracket 136 is securedtothe side of the base 10 from which bracket there is suspended anelectric motor 137 operating against a conventional magnetic brake 138.Torque from the motor 137 is transmitted to a gear speed reducer unit139 mounted atop the bracket 136 by means of a drive belt 140 andconventional, variable speed pulleys 141-142 secured respectively to themotor shaft and the drive shaft of the unit 139. Power from unit 139 isthen employed by means of a sprocket chain 143 to drive a maincount'ershaft 144 extending crosswise through the paste feed unit 16 atthe rear of paste hopper 77. The various rollers 3940, 4748, 105 and thepaddles 121 and 122 are all provided with laterally projecting stubshafts engaged in suitable bearings upon the opposite sides of themachine. Since the rollers 39-40 rotate in opposite directions theirstub shafts 39a and 40a (appearing in Fig. 1) carry meshing gears 145,while at the opposite side of the machine one of said stub shafts 40acarries a sprocket driven by a sprocket chain 146. The rollers 47-48likewise have laterally projecting stub shafts 47a and 48a respectivelyand the sprocket chain 146 operates ovcr a sprocket secured to the stubshaft 47a at this particular side of the machine, whereas at theopposite side these stub shafts 47a-48a carry meshing gears 147, as seenin Fig. 1, to cause the rollers to travel in the proper oppositedirections. It will be noted, however, in Fig. 1 that the gears 147differ in diameter so that the roller 47 will rotate at. a slower speedthan roller 48 for a purpose presently to appear. At the side of themachine opposite these gears 147 a sprocket chain 148 operates over asprocket on the stub shaft 48a to drive the two rollers 47-48 and alsooperates sprockets 149 and 150 of the stub shafts 121a and 122a of thepaddles 121-122 in such fashion as to rotate these paddles in oppositedirections as indicated by the arrows in Fig. 7. On the opposite side ofthe machine the stub shaft 122s of the upper. or agitating paddle 122there is a sprocket which is connected by a sprocket chain 151 operatingover the aforesaid stub shaft 107 in order, to drive the paste feedroller 105 in the proper direction and at the proper relative rate ofrotation. Returning again to the opposite side of the machine, as seenin Fig. 3, the carry-away conveyor chains 72 are driven by a sprocketchain 152 operated by the speed reducer unit 139, whereas the disks 32are operated by a sprocket chain 153 drivenotf the stub shaft 47a andthe feed conveyor chains 27 are driven by another sprocket chain 154operating a sprocket upon the aforesaid shaft 28. As shown in both Figs.1 and 3 there are various idler sprockets suitably and adjustablymounted in order to maintain the drive chains in the properly tautcondition, but it is not regarded as necessary to refer to all of theseelements in detail since they are wholly conventional. It is, however,important to note that the stub shafts 47a and 48a for the rollers 47-48are adjustably mounted through openings 47b48b in the walls 12 and 37respectively (Fig. 8) so that the distance between the most closelyadjacent portions of the surfaces of these rollers may be readily andaccurately adjusted. The adjustable mounting for the bearings in whichthese stub shafts are carried is designated generally at 155 throughoutand they too are conventional in their arrangement.

In operation of the machine the two units 1116 are, of course, locatedin proper juxtaposition and with the motor 137 in operation the gridpanels A are moved by the chains 27 toward the disks 32 by which thepanels are carried over one at a time and projected edgewise down intothe throat 34. As the panels move down through this throat 34 they areengaged in succession by the rollers 3940 so that the panels continuedownwardly one at a time through the pasting zone 60, whereat'they arepasted and from which they drop upon the carry-away conveyor chain'72ready for further operations. A supply of the pasty, active material iscarried in the paste hopper 77 to a level at least suflicient to immersethe rotating components in the bottom of the hopper and the paddles121122 cooperate to urge the paste continually toward the throat 156formed at the rear of and between the two rollers 48-105. These rollersact with what may be described as a wringer effect upon the paste tourge the paste continually toward the pasting zone 60 and to continuallymaintain a working quantity of paste in that zone. It is to be noted,however, that the rate at which paste is supplied to the pasting zone isregulated by the spacing at 157 (Figs. 7 and 8) between the closestperipheral surfaces of the rollers 48105 and that from this pointforward toward the pasting zone' 60 the space through which the pastetravels, designated at 158, and which space exists between the roller 48and the lower surface 159 of the shoe 101 and between the roller and thecut-away portions 55 of the guide bar 46, gradually increases so that itoffers no impediment to the smooth feeding of paste toward the pastingzone. The roller spacing 157 determining the rate at which paste issupplied to the zone, or determining the thickness of the film or layerof paste so supplied, may be accurately adjusted as heretofore describedby manipulation of the knob 91 to raise or lower the hopper forward wall80 and its attached shoe 101 and roller 105. It will also becomeapparent at this point why it is necessary for the roller 105 to beindependently adjustable to precisely parallel roller 48 since unlessthese rollers are parallel then obviously one side of the panel will besupplied with a greater amount of paste than the other. As the gridpanels move downwardly through the pasting zone 60 the roller 48willroll paste into the interstices in the network areas of the twogrids of the panel, forcing the paste through the spaces between thewires and grids, and the roller 47 acts in a backupcapacity to preventthe escape of the paste and cooperate in rolling'the paste from bothsides-into all areas of the panels. Then as the panels move downwardlybetween the troweling bars 49-50 the troweling surfaces52 thereof willtrowel the paste applied to the panels smoothly upon the opposite sides,compacting it into the interstices and insuring that the completefilling of the panels occurs. The beveled upper edges 65-66 of thetroweling bars are important in thatany excessof paste on either side ofthe panel will be ironed out without jamming and will remain in thepasting zone 60, this being particularly important since in the "presentmachine the two rollers 4748 are so spaced apart that their peripheralsurfaces do not themselves contact'the grid panels. It is also importantto note that these beveled edges 65-66 arelocated in the same'horizontalr plane as the axis of rotation of the rollers 47-48 so that thetroweling action is initiated just as the moving peripheral surfaces ofthe rollers begin to recede away from the opposite sides of the gridpanels.

Due to the wringer-like action of the rollers 48-105 upon the paste asit is forced toward the pasting zone 60 any lumps in the paste arecrushed so that they will not jam the machine, but'should a foreignobject of any' nature move between these rollers, then the resistance ofthe spring 93 will be overcome permitting the roller and shoe 101 tomove upwardly so that damage will not Occur. I contemplate the provisionof a safety switch for shutting off the motor 137 should such upwardmovement of the shoe and the roller occur, but since safety devices ofthis nature are so well known in various arts the switch is notdisclosed herein.

The spacing 157 between rollers 48105 is so adjusted that a slightexcess of paste is continuously supplied to the pasting zone 60 and thisexcess, while very small by comparison with the amount of paste actuallyapplied to the panels, must of course be disposed of in some way. Theroller 48 will return a part of this excess through space 64 to thehopper for re-entry into the pasting zone while roller 47 will dischargeits portion of the excess through space 63 into the aforesaid tray 133wherein it is accumulated for periodic return to the paste hopper 77.These gradually increasing spaces between the beveled surfaces 6162 andadjacent peripheral surfaces of the rolls 4748 facilitates this carryingaway of excess paste. It is also desirable to slightly overpaste thepanels, that is to provide them with a paste layer a few thousandthsthicker than that of the panels themselves, for which purpose thetroweling surfaces 52 are set apart at the proper spacing. Thecontinuous supply of a slight excess of paste to the pasting zone 60,plus the fact that the troweling surfaces 52 are set apart these fewthousandths necessary for proper over-pasting, results in the buildingup of a back pressure on the panels between the roller 47 and adjacentsurfaces of the panels, tending to urge the latter toward roller 48. forthis reason that I contemplate operating the roller 47 at a higher rateof rotation than roller 48 so that this back pressure will bediminished, to equalize the pressure at each side of the panel, to anextent such that it will cause no problem and so that the excess ofpaste on the side of the panel opposite roller 48 will be carried awayto betteradvantage.

As heretofore described the guide bar 46 is provided with downwardblanking portions or extensions 59 at its opposite ends and center inorder to blank out the border portions of the grid panels A at thepasting zone and insure that the paste is applied only through theopenings 57 and 58 over the reticulated areas of the pan-- els. Whenpanels of a different dimension are being pasted the guide bar 46 may bereadily replaced by removing the screws 160, seen in Fig. 4, by whichthe bar is held to the forward face of the paste feed unit 16 and a barsubstituted having extensions of different size according to thedimensions of the panels to be pasted.

Also as stated heretofore it is periodically necessary to clean out thepaste hopper 77 for which purpose the units 11-16 are spaced apart bymanipulation of hand lever 17 and the bottom 81 of the hopper is swungdownwardly to expose the pasting components in the lower part of thehopper. While this hinged arrangement of the hopper bottom 81 is apractical one, and one which permits ready access to the hopper bottomfor cleaning without the use of any tools, I do not, of course, limitmyself thereto and the hopper may be provided with a bottom bolted inplace or otherwise mounted as may appear to be expedient.

It is understood that suitable modifications may be made in thestructure as disclosed, provided such modifications come within thespirit and scope of the appended claims. Having now therefore fullyillustrated It is v and described my invention, what, I claim to be newand desire to protect by Letters Patent is: r a t 1.-'Forgpastingstorage batteryfgridipanels of the type having reticulated areas, apasting machinecomprising in combination, means having spaced apartsurfaces defining a grid panel passageway having a pasting zone, meansfor moving the panel through the passageway, a paste supply source,means for causing, paste to move in a layer from the source to thepasting zone and to be applied as a layer to the panel in thepassageway; said means including a paste applying roller and a shoemember having an arcuate surface spaced from the roller, means receivingpaste from the sourceyandfo-r spreading it upon the roller, meansincluding, said arcuate surface for confiningthe layer upon the rollerwhile said layer is being moved to the pasting zone, means for adjustingthe thickness of said layer so as toprovide a slight surplus of paste, aback-up roller on the sideofthe passageway opposite to thepaste-applying roller for engaging the paste pushed through thereticulated areas of the panel, said back-up roller removing the surplusof paste pushed through the panel, and spaced troweling ele, mentslocated in the path of thepanel'asit leaves the pasting zone andoperative to engage the pasted panel from opposite sides and therebydetermine the thickness of the paste applied to the panel, the pasteapplying and back-up rollers being spaced apart at their adjacentsurfaces at distance greater than the spaced apart surfaces definingsaid grid panel passageway.

2. A pasting machine for storage battery grid panels which havereticulated areas, comprising in combination, means having spaced apartsurfaces forming a grid panel passageway having a pasting zone, meansfor moving the panel through the passageway, a paste supply hopper,means for causing paste to move in a layer from the hopper to thepasting zone and to be applied as a layer to the panel in thepassageway, said means comprising a paste applying roller and a shoemember having an arcuate surface spaced from the roller, a paste feedroller receiving paste from the hopper for spreading the paste upon thepaste applying roller, means including said arcuate surface forconfining thetlayer upon the paste applying roller while said layer ismoved to the pasting zone, means for adjusting the distance between thepaste applying roller and paste feed roller to control the thickv nessof said layer so as to provide a continual slight surplus of paste inthe pasting zone, a back-up roller on the side of the passagewayopposite to the pasteaapplying roller for engaging the paste pushedthrough the reticulated areas of the panel, said back-up roller removingthe surplus of paste pushed through the panel, the paste applying andbackup rollers being spaced apart at their adjacent peripheries adistance greater than the distance between said surfaces forming saidgrid panel passageway, and spaced apart means engaging the oppositesides of the panel as it leaves the pasting zone with a troweling effecton the paste and determining the thickness of paste applied to thepanel. J g

3. A pasting machine for storage battery grid panels which havereticulated areas, comprising in combination, means having spacedsurfaces defining a grid panel passageway having a pasting zone, meansfor moving the panel through the passageway, a paste supply hopper,means for causing paste to move in a layer from the hopper to thepasting zone and to be applied as a layer to the reticulated areas ofthe panel in the passageway, said means comprising a paste applyingroller and a shoe member having an arcuate surface spaced from theroller, a paste feed roller receiving paste from the hopper forspreadingthe paste upon the paste applying roller, means including saidarcuate surface for confining the layer upon the paste applying rollerwhile said layer is moved to the pasting zone, means for adjusting thedistance between the paste applying roller and paste feed roller tocontrol the thickness of said layer so as to provide a continual slightsurplus of paste in the pasting zone, a back-up roller on the side ofthe passageway opposite to the paste-applying roller for engaging thepaste pushed through the reticulated areas of the panel, said back-uproller removing the surplus of paste pushed through the panel, spacedapart troweling bars engaging the opposite sides of the panel as itleaves the pasting zone with a troweling effect on the paste anddetermining the thickness of paste applied to the panel, the pasteapplying and back-up rollers being spaced apart at their adjacentperipheral surfaces a distance greater than the spacing between saidsurfaces which define the grid panel passageway, and said troweling barshaving flared apart beveled edge portions substantially coextensive withthe width of the reticulated areas of the panel and receiving the panelsas they leave the pasting zone.

4. A machine for applying a layer of paste to storage battery gridpanels, comprising a grid panel passageway having a pasting zone, meansfor moving the panels through the passageway, a paste supply hopper,means for moving paste in a wide layer from the hopper to the pastingzone, said means comprising a paste applying roller and a back-up rollerlocated on opposite sides of the passageway at said pasting zone, meansreceiving paste from the hopper and for spreading it upon the pasteapplying roller, means for adjusting the amount of paste spread on thepaste applying roller so as to provide a slight surplus, said back-uproller removing the surplus of paste pushed through the panel, and meansfor rotating the paste applying roller and back-up roller in oppositedirections and at relatively different speeds with the backuprollermoving faster than the paste applying roller.

5. A pasting machine for storage battery grid panels which havereticulated areas, comprising in combination, a grid panel passagewayhaving a pasting zone, means for moving the panel through thepassageway, a paste supply hopper, means for causing paste to move in alayer from the hopper to the pasting zone and to be applied as a layerto the panel in the passageway, said means comprising a paste applyingroller and a shoe member having an arcuate surface spaced from theroller,- means receiving paste from the hopper and for spreading it uponthe roller, means including said arcuate surface for confining the layerupon the roller while said layer is being moved to the pasting zone,means for adjusting the thickness of said layer so as to provide aslight surplus of paste in the pasting zone, a back-up roller on theside of the passageway opposite to the pasteapplying roller for engagingthe paste pushed through the reticulated areas of the panel, saidback-up roller removing the surplus of paste pushed through the panel,and means for rotating the rollers and operative to rotate the back-uproller at a higher rate of rotation than the paste applying roller.

6. In a storage battery grid panel pasting machine having a pastereceptacle and a grid panel passageway, a pair of adjacent rollerslocated upon opposite sides of said passageway and one being located inthe paste receptacle, a third roller disposed over the adjacent surfaceof the roller in said paste receptacle, a plate forming the front wallof the receptacle, means for mounting the plate and said third rollerfor simultaneous upward movement, said plate having a shoe having anedge in shaving contact with the surface of said third roller, and meansadjustably connecting the said third roller to the plate for adjustingthat roller independently of the plate and shoe with reference to theshoe and to the roller beneath.

7. In a grid panel pasting machine having a paste receptacle and. a gridpauel'passageway, a pair of spaced apart rollers located at, oppositesides of said passageway and one being located in the paste receptaclefor conveying paste from the receptacle to the passageway, a thirdroller disposed over the roller in said receptacle, a

;plate forming the front wall of the receptacle, spring biased meansmounting the plate and said third roller for spring resistedsimultaneous upward movement, and adjustable tie rods connectingopposite ends of the said third roller to the plate whereby the thirdroller is adjustable independently of the plate and with reference tothe roller in the paste receptacle.

8. A machine for applying paste to storage battery grid panels whichhave reticulated areas and end and center borders, comprising meansdefining a passageway for the panels and said means having openings forforming a pasting zone, a paste receptacle communicating with thepasting zone, means including cooperating rollers for. rolling pasteinto the reticulated areas of the panels at the pasting zone, and saidmeans forming the passageway for the panels including a replaceableguide bar having center and end extensions-at the pasting zone forblanking out paste from theend andzborder areas of the panels andthereby exposing only the reticulated areas of the panelsto the paste.

9. A machine for applying paste to storage battery grid panels whichhave reticulated areas and end and center borders, comprising meansdefining a passageway for the panels and said means having openings forforming a pasting zone, a paste receptacle communicating with thepasting zone, means including cooperating rollers for rolling paste intothe reticulated areas of the panels at the pasting zone, said meansforming the passageway for the panels including a replaceable guide barhaving center and end extensions at the pasting zone for blanking outpaste from the end and border areas of the panels and thereby exposingonly the reticulated areas of the panels to the paste, and trowelingbars for engaging opposite sides of the panels as they leave the pastingzone, the troweling bar nearest said guide bar having an edge tightlyfitting the extremities of the said center and end extensions of thatbar.

10. A grid panel pasting machine comprising, in combination, a panelpassageway having a pasting zone, means for moving panels through thepassageway and said pasting zone, a paste hopper, a paste applyingroller on one side of said pasting zone for carrying a layer of pastesupplied from the hopper to the pasting zone of the passageway and forforcing the paste layer into the panels, a stationary shoe member havingan arcuate surface spaced from the paste applying roller and cooperatingtherewith to provide a paste receiving space means for forcing pastefrom the hopper into said space and including a paste feed roller andtwo paddles located in the paste hopper and cooperating to move pasteinto said space, a back-up roller located adjacent the said pasteapplying roller but on the opposite side of said pasting zone, and abottom closure for said paste hopper separate from the rollers andpaddles therein and movable to a position exposing the bottom of thehopper for cleaning purposes, the said bottom closure for the hopperbeing hinged to the paste hopper, and releasable means for holding theclosure in hopper closing position.

11. A pasting machine for storage battery grid panels which have spacedapart reticulated areas defined in part by substantially imperforatecenter and end borders, comprising means defining a passageway for thepanels and having a pasting zone, a paste receptacle communicating withthe pasting zone, means including cooperating paste applying and back-uprollers on opposite sides of said passageway at the pasting zone forrolling paste into the reticulated areas of the panels, the said rollersbeing spaced apart at their contiguous surfaces a distance greater thanthe thickness of the panels and the width of said passageway, said meansdefining the passageway including replaceable guide bars having spacedapart openings at the pasting zone coextensive with the width of thereticulated areas of the panels and defined by center and end extensionsof the bars which coincide with the center and end borders of the panelsand which terminate between the rollers in the plane of the axes of thesaid rollers, troweling bars extending in an opposite direction bysubstantially imperforate center and end borders, j

comprising means defining a passageway for the panels and having apasting zone, a paste receptacle communieating with the pasting zone,means including cooperating paste applying and back-up rollers onopposite sides of said passageway at the pasting zone for rolling pasteinto the reticulated areas of the panels, the said rollers being spacedapart at their-contiguous surfaces a distance greater than the thicknessof the panels and the width of said passageway, said means defining thepassageway including replaceable guide bars having spaced apart openingsat the pasting zone coextensive with the width of the reticulated areasof the panels and defined by center and end extensions of the bars whichcoincide with the center and end borders of the panels and whichterminate between the rollers in the plane of the axes of the saidrollers, troweling bars extending between the rollers toward and havingedges meeting the ends of the said center and end extensions of theguide bars, these edges between the points where they meet the saidextensions of the guide bars being oppositely beveled to provide flaringthroats to receive the panels leaving the pasting zone, and means formoving the panels through the pasting zone.

13. In a pasting machine for storage battery grid panels of the typewherein the paste is applied initially to one, side of a grid panel, agrid panel passageway having a pasting zone, and a paste supply hopper,means for equalizing pressure on each side of the grid panel during thepasting operation comprising a paste applying roller for moving pastefrom said hopper to said pasting zone, a back-up roller, and means forrotating said back-up roller at a relatively slower speed than saidpaste applying roller.

14. A machine for applying paste to storage battery grid panels whichhave reticulated areas and non-reticulated border portions, comprisingmeans forming a passageway for edgewise movement of the panelstherethrough including a pair of guide bars defining a first portion ofsaid passageway, a pair of troweling bars defining a second portion ofsaid passageway, a paste applying roller disposed at one side of thepassageway, and a back-up roller parallel with the paste applying rollerand disposed at the opposite side of the passageway therefrom, saidguide bars having spaced portions defining intervening openings, saidspaced portions meeting the adjacent edges of the respective trowelingbars along a line coincident with the plane passing through the axes ofthe two rollers, said spaced portions of the guide bars being positionedso as to cover border portions providing zones for the application ofpaste to the reticulated areas of the panels as they pass between therollers and into engagement with the troweling bars.

15. The structure defined in claim 14, in which the spacing between therollers is greater than the spacing between the troweling surfaces ofthe troweling bars whereby the paste applying roller may supply a layerof paste to the reticulated areas of the grid panels as they passthrough said zones of greater thickness than will be permitted to passbetween the troweling bars.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS1,426,671 Printz Aug. 22, 1922 2,101,733 Henry Feb. 8, 1938' r 2,353,445Crafts July 11, 1944 2,375,424 Lund May 8, 1945

